Labiaplasty

What I learned,

Picking your surgeon is number one. Before finding my doctor I looked through every portfolio, review, and read all the “cautionary tales” I could find. There are some women who travel out of state for their preferred physician, however I am lucky to have access to a competent pool of doctors in western Washington and was lucky to have found the one that ultimately performed my operation.

Maintain a flexible schedule for healing. I had my surgery in the afternoon and arrived home early evening after which I slept for nearly thirteen hours (thank you pain medication). Reading horror stories about popping stitches, I equipped my apartment with all the groceries, post-op care items, books and movies I needed for at least three days and tried to keep as immobile as possible. While undoubtedly a challenge for someone who likes to keep moving I know this paid off in the long run. You’ll have the rest of your life to keep active and enjoy what your surgery has afforded.

Throughout the healing process, it’s likely going to look weird. Possibly real weird. As you can see with my left labia there was a spot of concentrated swelling which lasted for a couple weeks along with the corrugated line of stitches. Reading through countless descriptions and pictures of other women stories and concerns and speaking with my surgeon, I felt more confident that this would “flatten out” over time and by the 5th week it had and continues to do so.

Ointment really helps. There’s no need for sensitive skin to be dried out during the healing process and in my case I think using ointment helped me heal faster and feel way more comfortable. I had an issue after a couple days that the pads I was using would painfully rub against the inflamed bulge by my stitch line so I called my physician and he recommended Aquapore which worked great.

It’s interesting looking back on my post-op photograph and remembering the daily hassle having so much excess skin between my legs really was. Some irritants I hadn’t even realized until after my surgery as they were so normal to everyday living. Like most, it took years to finally make this decision which was personally influenced largely by the popular attitudes and opinions of other women. Somehow, this brand of surgery is commonly thought of as “unfemminist” by many of my peers. Perhaps ironically then, I've realized it to be one of the most empowered decisions I’ve made in regards to the feminine aspects of my body. This surgery isn’t for everyone but I feel grateful for it every single day.

Thank you to all those who have made this a supportive online community. I’ve learned a lot from your experiences and hope maybe mine may be helpful as well. And thanks to really great doctor!